The specialists at the BMW Classic workshop now have more responsibilities on their hands, as they will also be repairing and restoring vehicles belonging to customers. Just like owners of new vehicles, these customers can also benefit of BMW expertise.
“The workshop is an essential component of the reorientation of BMW Classic and of our customer focus on the classic market,” Karl Baumer, Director of BMW Group Classic, said in a release.
A number of classics had already been entrusted to the team at the Classic Center before the actual launch of the new service. According to the manufacturer, the Classic Center workshop now features a a BMW 3.0 CSi and BMW R 69 S, next to two BMW M1s.
“The great advantage for customers who bring their vehicle back to the original manufacturer is the complete range of services available under one roof. We have the theoretical knowledge of the vehicles, the technical know-how, the original BMW parts and the necessary infrastructure to connect everything up systematically,” said Ralf Vierlein, Head of Sales and Aftersales for BMW Group Classic.
According to the manufacturer, there are at least 200,000 owners of BMW vehicles from earlier decades, and with every year that passes, the number of classic BMWs increases significantly. In order to cope with the rising demand, the BMW Group Classic looks to further expand its activities.
“We’ve had enquiries from Romania, Spain and even from a collector in Brazil, who is interested in a restoration. We are now looking for partners abroad with whom we can work in future,” said Thomas Tischler, Service Team Manager at BMW Classic and responsible for the project.
After announcing the opening of the BMW Classic Center this April, German manufacturer BMW announced it completed the first restoration of one of its old vehicles. The first car to be restored by BMW is a 1972 BMW 3.0 CSi, a car who was handed back to its owner during a ceremony at the BMW Welt.
The modifications and repairs made by BMW to the 1972 model included the conversion of the car’s four-speed manual gearbox into an automatic one. This was perhaps the trickiest work done on the model, so far only two prototypes of the model car fitted with such a tranny.
In the end, the 3.0 CSi got itself an automatic, transplanted from a BMW 2.8 CS. Aside for this, the BMW had to undergo extensive bodywork, technical and electronic tweaks and even interior overhauling.
“The successful restoration of the BMW 3.0 CSi shows that we are on the right track and that, together with our partners within the BMW Group network of facilities, we are capable of restoring vehicles to the highest quality standards and to individual customer specifications,” Ralf Vierlein, head of Sales and Aftersales at BMW Group Classic said in a statement.
BMW says there are currently at least 200,000 owners of BMW vehicles from earlier decades. Of course, most of them are in need of care, so BMW set up the BMW Classic workshop. Today, the German manufacturer plans to expand the special service into other countries as well, as a means to help old-Bimmer owners enjoy their cars for a little longer.
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